Chapter 3: First Day, First Disaster

Lily Carter stood in front of the elevator doors, clutching a steaming cup of coffee in one hand and her new employee ID in the other.

Her heart thumped.

She still couldn’t believe she got the job.

Alexander Knight actually hired me?

To be fair, the man didn’t exactly seem thrilled about it. In fact, his smirk before dismissing her yesterday still gave her goosebumps—not the good kind, but the what-have-I-gotten-myself-into kind.

Still, a job was a job, and she needed this one.

Squaring her shoulders, she inhaled deeply and stepped inside the elevator. The smooth jazz music did nothing to calm her nerves.

Today was the start of her new life—and she was determined to prove Alexander wrong.

What’s the worst that could happen?

-----------------------

The 47th floor of Knight Enterprises was a whole different world.

It was nothing like the lower floors, where employees bustled in open cubicles. Up here, the atmosphere was colder, sharper, more powerful.

The executive offices were lined with floor-to-ceiling glass, and everything—from the black leather chairs to the marble desks—screamed wealth.

Lily’s heels clicked against the polished floor as she walked toward her new workspace, which was a sleek desk just outside Alexander Knight’s office.

She dropped her bag onto the chair and admired her new domain.

It was all neat and organized, stocked with expensive-looking stationery and a high-tech computer monitor. There was even a tiny espresso machine in the corner.

"Okay, not bad," she murmured.

But before she could bask in the excitement, the door to Alexander’s office swung open.

And there he was.

In a flawless navy-blue suit, looking every bit the cold, ruthless CEO he was known to be.

"Miss Carter," he greeted coolly, adjusting the cuffs of his shirt. "You’re late."

Lily blinked.

She glanced at the time. 8:00 AM sharp.

"But I’m right on time!" she argued.

He lifted an unimpressed brow. "Your desk should be set up, your computer on, and my schedule prepared by now. In my world, ‘on time’ is already late."

Her stomach sank.

Oh, this job was going to be hell.

-----------------------

Determined to redeem herself, Lily jumped into action.

She hurried to grab the printed schedule she had prepared the night before, smoothed it out, and handed it to him.

"Your schedule for the day, sir!" she said cheerfully.

Alexander took it without a word and scanned the paper.

For a brief second, he looked impressed.

Then his expression turned unreadable. He lifted his icy gaze.

"Why is there a lunch meeting with 'Chris Hemsworth' at noon?"

Lily froze.

Wait. What?

She snatched the paper back and gasped.

Monday, 12:00 PM
Lunch Meeting with Chris Hemsworth

Her face burned.

"I—I didn’t write that! I swear! I must have—"

She checked her laptop, frantically scrolling through the document. And that’s when she saw it.

At some point last night, while half-asleep, she must have auto-filled the schedule and somehow replaced a name with her own personal fantasy.

Because right under the 'Chris Hemsworth' lunch meeting, she found:

4:00 PM: Board Meeting with Iron Man

7:00 PM: Dinner with Captain America

Her soul left her body.

Alexander exhaled slowly, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Miss Carter."

"Y-Yes?"

"Are you aware that I do not run Marvel Studios?"

Lily wanted to die.

"That was a mistake," she babbled. "A—a complete accident! I must have—oh my God, I swear I didn’t mean to put—"

"Fix it."

His voice was calm. Deadly calm.

Lily nodded rapidly. "Yes, sir! Right away, sir!"

Alexander sighed, rubbing his temple. "And bring me coffee. Black. No sugar. No cream. No nonsense."

"Of course! Absolutely!"

Desperate to redeem herself, Lily grabbed the coffee cup from her desk—the same one she had been holding since she walked in—and spun around too quickly.

The next few seconds happened in slow motion.

Her foot slipped.

Her grip failed.

And in a horrifying, cinematic disaster, the entire cup of coffee went flying through the air... straight toward Alexander Knight’s crisp, expensive suit.

A second later, a hot brown stain spread across his once-perfect white shirt.

The room went silent.

Lily froze.

Alexander just stared at her.

His face gave away nothing, but the tension in the air could have crushed her soul into dust.

Melissa, the receptionist, happened to walk by at that exact moment, took one look at the scene, and whispered under her breath:

"...She’s dead."

-----------------------

Silence.

Lily gulped.

"...Would you believe me if I said this was also an accident?"

Alexander inhaled deeply.

Then, in an eerily calm voice, he said:

"Miss Carter."

"Y-Yes?"

"Leave."

Lily panicked. "L-Leave as in ‘go home for today’? Or leave as in forever?"

His jaw clenched.

She stepped back. "Right. Okay. I’ll—uh—I’ll just go get you a clean shirt, shall I?"

Before he could respond, she spun on her heel and bolted out the door.

As soon as she reached the hallway, she leaned against the wall and let out a breath.

Her first day was going spectacularly bad.

And judging by the murderous look in Alexander Knight’s eyes, it wasn’t going to get any easier.